National Missing Children's Day

May 25, 2012 will mark the 29th National Missing Children's Day. First proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan and observed by every administration since, May 25th is the anniversary of the day in 1979 when 6-year-old Etan Patz disappeared from a New York street corner on his way to school.

His story captivated the nation. His photo, taken by his father, a professional photographer, was circulated nationwide and appeared in media across the nation and around the world. Etan became the poster-child for a movement. The powerful image came to symbolize the anguish and trauma of thousands of searching families.

For nearly three decades, the search for Etan has continued. Just as that day when President Reagan proclaimed the first National Missing Children's Day, Etan is still missing. The widespread attention brought to his case and those of others eventually led to a nationwide commitment to help locate and recover missing children.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. officially reopened the Etan Patz case on May 25, 2010. On April 19, 2012, FBI and NYPD investigators began excavating the SoHo basement of 127B Prince Street, near the Patz' home, which case files revealed had been newly refinished shortly after the boy's disappearance in 1979. The basement had been the workshop and storage space of a carpenter who had previous contact with Etan as well as many others in the neighborhood at the time. After a four-day search, investigators announced there was "nothing conclusive found", including any skeletal or human remains.

National Missing Children's Day honors this commitment by reminding parents, guardians, and other trusted-adult role models to make child safety a priority.